Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-05-17

Z, by those who had been vlctors in music
to their inspiring muse We reached
the mouth of the Cavern. which appear-
cd like sort of vestibule surrounded
| with balusirades of white marble,
with here and there brass oblisks upon
| them. From this vestbue we entered
a gYotto hewn out of the solid rock.
eight cubits high and four wide. Here
| WAS not permitted to accompany you
farther, for here the entrance to the
mysterious cave of Trophonius once
stood.
you babe me farewell for the time,
and descended by ladder; ut its foot
you passed through a narrow aperture.
feet foremost, and then you were hur-
ried on with the speed of lightning to
the bottom of the cavern, where were
two famous fountains-one named
Lethe. which effaces the memory of all
your former life, and the other
Mnemosyne, which for ever fixes on
the mind whatever is to be seen or
heard in the dread cavern. You refused
to drink of Lethe, but took of Mnemo-
syne, so you told me on your return
but what you saw you would not reveal,
even to me.
"a settled melancholy seemed to have
fallen upon you; you avoided society,
and after vainly endeavoring to restore
you to your former self. / saw you,
with regret, flee from the world and
take up your abode in cavern, cut out
Of a rock, short distance from Athens.
Here you lived and studied, attended
only by a faithful slave, who had wait
ed upon you from your youth up.
Your friends supposed you would soon
tire of this manner of life, but they
were mistaken. For five years YOU per-
sisted in it, and became every year
more fond of solitude.
Zone mornng-how we'll / recollect
it'-your slave entered the city, beating
his breast and throwing dust upon his
head. | felt that some calamity had
happened. and rushing from my house,
| questioned him of his master With
some difficulty | extracted the facts
from him. 1t seemed that you had fire.
quent conversations in an unknown
tongue with some mysterious stranger,
who would appear when you made cor.
tain cabalistic signs, and who would
vanish without using the door of the
cavern as means of exit. The slave
was too docile and obdient to question
the will OF hs master, although he
lived in mortal fear of the strange visi-
tant. Late on the night previously
you summoned this familiar spirit, and
he stayed so long the slave fell asleep
and slept till dawn. On awaking he
found all that rema ned of his master,
"a pair of sandals, 4 gold-embroidered
tunc and heap of ashes.
''Ihere was II strong smell of burn
ing in the cave when ! entered, an
hour later and the slave insisted that
there had been no fire, but simply the
oil lamp, which still burned freely.
''The Athenian magistrates caused
strict investigation to be made, for you
were a wealthy man, and highly con-
nected. | aided the unfortunate slave
to escape, for | feared that suspicion
might ult mately fall upon him and in
my soul ] believed his story implicitly"
He thereupon paused, ev IDENTITY over
come and exhausted.
Thank you for your information as to
my life so many years ago, said. but
even although it seems to me the ecno
OF one vivid dream. what good can it
poss bly, do me to know it?'
''That is not the true Critic who
speaks. lie replied. s'In your soul you
are eager to swallow nv words; they
fill your mind with II thousand fancies;
through these my hope may be real H.
ed. for he is a wise man who can de-
eide what is fact and what is fancy.
You may be able to recall what took
place in the cave of Trophonius- what
that familiar SIP rit revealed to you.
Perchance you may again be able TO
command him to your aid
"Ah, if that were only possible" /
said with sigh. ''and by so doing | did
not peril my immortal soul. willingly
would | summon n spirit to aid me in
unfolding mysteries and bewilderments.
The more | know of astronomy, the
more | feel my ignorance, my little
ness"
Come to me again, if you wish"
said this old acquaintance. ris rg to his
feet. Think over what | have told
you dream of it. and should any light
penetrate your min J. any memory of
Your former self return upon YOUR soul.
come to me. | will aid YOU, not for Il
purely unseliish motive, but for me to,
put the fact of pre-existence beyond
doubt in the eyes of those disposed to
cavil. for in the mouth of two or three
witnesses is truth established"
l again thanked him for his commu-
nication, and bowed myself out.
AS plodded through the slush, nv
eyes smarting with the dense, smoky
fog, | asked my self if | had fallen
asleep somehow on my feet and dreama
it all, or if had just passed through
sober reality. Evidently had spent
much longer period than | thought
possible in listening TO the craze of an
undoubtedly clever man; for | had not
read that genius is to madness close
alledg,'
| missed my train and had weary
wait at the station. AT length | was
off, and reached my home in the sub
urbs. After partaking of y light sup
per retired for the night 1t is not at
all unnatural or surprising that |
should repeat the whol1 story told me
of myself in dream; but | think it
rather curious that in my dream acted
and spoke as m Athenian child, ana
knew my master as lsocrates. But ON
awakng, | felt convinced that he had
not mcnt oucd his name in the course
OF the story.
The California "Boom."
They tell us that this influx of eas-